On November 2, babies got much needed pampering at Centennial College’s Morningside campus, courtesy of students from their Massage Therapy program.

Free infant massage lessons were held at the campus’s Massage Therapy Public Clinic. Supervised by their instructors, students gave parents one-on-one lessons on the proper techniques of infant massage. Farzaneh Soltani, a student in the program, said that massaging babies requires patience and flexibility.

“The small ones are better because they don’t move that much,” Soltani said. “Sometimes they are very fussy. The older ones move a lot. It’s actually sometimes impossible to give them the proper massage because they move so much.”

Soltani’s client for the day was Julia Bronsteter and her son Elliot. Before the session began, Bronsteter was concerned that her son would crawl around and be too active for the session. She was pleasant surprised at how prepared the students were for the reality of infant massage.

“They had a doll that they could offer instead. It was nice. I would definitely do it again,” Bronsteter said.

Sabine von Boetticher, program chair, says that learning about this emerging type of massage therapy is an asset for her students. What’s more, according to von Boetticher, studies show that infant massage improves sleep patterns and helps with physical growth and development.

“In some cases babies reportedly sleep one hour longer after just one massage,” von Boetticher said.

The Massage Therapy Public Clinic at Centennial College also offers treatments for sports injuries and chronic ailments. Visit their website to book an appointment and find out more about their specialties.